It was very humbling for me to visit the Christmas Fund last week. I so easily get wrapped up in my life, my problems, and forget what hundreds of people deal with everyday right next door. Knowing that needy families have this opportunity to make Christmas a little more special than they could on their own is very satisfying. It's not just about the books and the toys and the food stamps; it's about spreading happiness and knowing that many people truly do care.

Visiting the Christmas Bureau last Friday was not quite what I expected. I have worked the front desk of the House of Charity as a Gonzaga work-study since February, and the prospect of seeing and meeting Spokane's poor population was simply not that intriguing. After all, I figured they would be the same people I had worked with for months. Not surprisingly, this was not true in the least. I should have realized this earlier when I heard about the massive volume of people who take advantage of the Bureau, far more than the people who use the House of Charity, but it still came as a surprise to see the line of recipients extending well beyond the entrance even when the volunteers were making every effort to get everyone inside and out of the cold. It served as a reminder as well, that Spokane's poor are not merely those who live in shelters but those who are just scraping by on low-wage and part-time jobs forced to accept charity to have gifts for their children this Christmas.

When we went to the Christmas Bureau, one thing that I was most surprised about was the sheer magnitude of the whole operation. I never imagined so many people, toys or things working so smoothly. The organization and work that had to go into it stuck me. Most businesses don't keep inventory as well as the Christmas Bureau. Now you may be thinking, who cares about how well it was organized, what about the people and the generosity? But I think that the organization and care put into this operation was a big deal. It shows those who need the Christmas Bureau that there are people who care enough to want to make it as good as they possibly can. Some might argue that food is more important than providing toys. But I believe that the joy and excitement for life that toys bring is what makes them vital to a childhood. Toys allow children to imagine and dream, and I'm glad I got to witness the stacks of toys that will allow so many children to believe in the Christmas spirit. For once, I'm glad that my expectations underestimated what I saw.

Many young people help out at the Christmas Bureau and they deserve some recognition.

Monday, a group of seventh- and eighth-graders from St. Mary's Catholic School spent a couple of hours putting tags on makeup kits identifying the intended age group (14 and older). The volunteer parent who brought them, Julie Kienbaum, said 45 students volunteer once a month. They often help clean the House of Charity and serve lunch there.

So many give so generously.

A man who insisted on anonymity drove to the fairgrounds toys and a donation. He pressed two $50 bills in my hand, asked that we honor his and his wife's parents with the donation, and dashed back out into the cold.

One volunteer passed along a donation from her daughter, who is serving in Afghanistan with the state department.

Another volunteer, who works almost all 10 days at the Christmas Bureau, slipped me a check and reiterated his desire for anonymity.

At least one volunteer was stuck at home today dealing with broken pipes.

This charity represents the fabric of our community.

On Friday, our journalism class went out to the Fairgrounds to see the Christmas Bureau. It was not what I expected. First of all, the number of people choosing toys and waiting in line was much larger than I expected. It was humbling to see so many people who were in need of help. However, when I saw how much planning, generosity and pure manpower went into the Christmas Bureau, it was also very uplifting. It may sound cliche, but giving presents to my family is always my favorite part of Christmas. The Christmas Bureau gives so many the opportunity to have that same feeling of shared joy and giving, which really shows how people can come together to do good and help others. I was very impressed with the entire undertaking, and also proud that I could help (I attended the Spokane Chiefs game with the Teddy Bear toss, and I'm pretty sure my bear was the first one to be thrown on the ice!)

(Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review)

Name: Chris Peters
Age: 32.
Lives in: Spokane Valley.

--We took my 3-year-old son, Christian, to see Santa Claus the other night and I said, “What do you want from Santa Claus?” He said, “I don’t really care what I get. I just want to see Santa Claus.” That was one of the best moments we had in the last week.

--I’ve been laid off for two months now. I was a mason for a construction company and most all of us were laid off. In the boom times, everything was good. Money was coming in. We were busy all the time. The bills were getting paid. They let us know over a period of time that the jobs, and the economy, were slowing down. We knew it was coming. We were prepared. We started saving a little money each paycheck to get Christmas taken care of and bills paid up. My wife is working, thank heaven.

--I’d like to work year-round and never have to do this Christmas Bureau again, even though the people are friendly, and they give good toys. I’m hoping the new president will bring the economy back. I’m hoping he’ll provide jobs and keep people off the unemployment line.

--I’d like more schools to be built, so there’s enough room for kids and things aren’t falling apart around them. The more schools, the better off our kids will be for the future.

--I grew up in the Spokane Valley. At Christmas one year, we went on a sleigh ride in Cheney. I was about 8. The guy out there gave about 30 kids a ride for two hours in the snow. Everybody had blankets. We sat in the hay. I’m trying to create happy memories for my son, too, so he can look back and say he had a good life growing up, and things went pretty easy.

(Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review)

Name: Lillian Gay
Age: 44.
Lives in: Medical Lake.

--I was born in Orlando, Fla. You could say I was born into the Navy, because Dad took us all over the place. I have two older sisters and two younger brothers, and not one of us share the same birthplace, except my two sisters who were born in Puerto Rico. Dad moved us to the state of Washington in 1971 and died while in service in 1973.

--I've lived in the Spokane area for over 22 years. It's beautiful. I love the weather – most of the time.

--I went to four or five different kindergarten classes before I graduated it. We met all kinds of new people all the time, and that was great. By moving so much as a young person I learned it's really easy to make friends.

--When I was about 5 or 6, I met a friend on the base in San Diego. Her name was Mariko. She was Japanese. Her mother was Japanese, and her father had met and married Mariko's mother over there. Her mother taught us how to make egg flower soup. And to this day, I can remember Mariko's mother standing there going, "No, no, no, you must let it blossom!" I actually liked the soup, which was good, because I was a finicky eater when I was a child, and Mom finally found something I'd eat on a regular basis. It made her happy.

--I've worked as a nanny. But now I do it pretty much for free for nine children – Ryan, Cody, Anthony, Emma, Brook, Kiersten, Kylee, Dylan and Tyler. They call me Nana. I like best the laughter and the smiles. They always have something that just comes out of nowhere. We were driving down the road today and one truck was towing another, and Anthony, who is 9, said, "Are they making baby trucks?"

(Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review)

Name: Harold Parker
Age: 57.
Lives in: Cheney.

-- I was born in San Diego and was enlisted in the Navy for eight years. I got in an accident and was burned over 67 percent of my body. I got out of the military and then worked odd jobs and then found out I had hepatitis C because of the treatment of the burns. And then I got diabetes later on in life, and I got to the point where in 2004, I could no longer work and had to apply for Social Security disability. These are my circumstances. It wasn't that I didn't want to work. I can't work.

--My life isn't as good as it used to be. But I'm still thankful I survived. Life still has something out there for me. I don't know what it is, but I'm waiting.

--What gets me out of bed in the morning? My wife. She gets me out of bed at about 9 o'clock so we can take care of our dogs. We have three miniature dachshunds, and I just love them. There's Wee Willie Weiner, Wee Wonka Weiner and Dobby the House Elf. Those little sweethearts are my emotional support. They keep me going between my doctor's visits.

--I appreciate our freedom in this country. The election season was very heated, but as long as we stay united as Americans, we're still better off in the world.

--My favorite Christmas as a child was when I was in San Diego and my parents got my brother and me cowboy outfits, including a guitar. It was 1956 or 1957. That morning my brother and I were both sitting on our front porch in our cowboy outfits, strumming away with our guitars, like we were Roy Rogers or something.

This is my 22nd year being part of the Christmas Bureau in some way, either as a volunteer or there doing a story or two -- or both.

This year, we hoped to give more of recipient's "back stories" to show who they are beyond the poverty and circumstances that drew them to the bureau.

We've run two "Christmas Bureau snapshots" so far, another is on board for tomorrow. We'll post them each separately, with photos.

Dec. 10: The Christmas Bureau opened today with a record number of poor people coming for help. They began lining up at 4 a.m., fearful the bureau would run out of toys. It won't. With the 4,000 teddy bears delivered by the Spokane Chiefs Hockey Club, there are nearly 20,000 toys ready to go to the homes of poor children.